Hangzhou contd..

After lunch, we had time for some sightseeing before nightfall. Took a cab to Leifeng Pagoda



Leifeng Pagoda is a modern steel building built on top of the old one which collapsed in 1924. It towers above the rest of West Lake and the roof glitters like gold (it's actually copper) in the evening sun.

Some of the old foundations are still preserved for viewing in the basement and for some reason, people throw coins in. I should set up an ancient looking thing and maybe people would throw coins in as well! LOL...

The story in the Chinese opera about the White Snake Princess is somehow intertwined with this pagoda.

Thank god for modern technology! My dad appreciated the escalators and lifts that took us all the way to the top!



The views are spectacular! I'm beginning to suspect that it's hazy all the time on Xihu (West Lake) but the sunset added a mystical aura to the beautiful lake.




We gawked at the richly guilded gold coloured copper interior as we toured the pagoda.

By the time we were done, it was dark again but it was only 6pm!!

Time for dinner!

Everyone must have the same idea because it took us a very long time before we finally flagged an empty cab.



Like many other restaurants over here, the lowest floor is the cheapest but it's self-service, noisy and crowded. The 2nd level is slightly more civilised and the 3rd level is full-service and the most civilised. However, civilised or not, smoking is allowed EVERYWHERE! pffftttt!!



My colleague recommended this soup called 莼菜汤. It's a 'cheng-cheng' and simple looking soup with leaves that look like tea leaves. The weird part was, the leaves had a clear slimey coating (like mucus) on the surface! Takes a bit of getting used to but it wasn't too unpleasant though. My dad didn't take a fancy to it - why am I not surprised. ;-)

This dish is called 松鼠鱼, literally translated as "Squirrel Fish" named as such because of the way the fish is prepared. It looks pretty, doesn't it? Not too healthy because it's deep-fried but what the heck, we're on holiday!!



:-)